


Dust by Dawn

by jayfeather12345



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: AU, Action, Action & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, Drama, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Love, Multiple Pairings, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Romance, Teen Romance, True Love, Vampire Bites, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29510868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayfeather12345/pseuds/jayfeather12345
Summary: 'May shivered as the thought raced unbidden through her mind. Drew felt the tremour and smirked, pausing to just hold her hips for a few seconds until the shiver had disappeared. It was payback for when she'd threatened him before, she knew. He had tried intimidating her with his fangs and that hadn't worked, so he was trying to get under her skin in a different way.She'd be damned if she was going to let him get away with it.'Misty is the strongest. White is the fastest. Leaf has the highest IQ. Dawn has the wit and the wiles. What does May have? She's the comic relief.All May wants is to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, she can't stop making mistakes.The girls are closer than best friends. They're sisters. But secrets build walls between them and their trust in each other is soon to be challenged more than ever before.Falling for a vampire never had such high stakes.
Relationships: Haruka | May/Shuu | Drew, Hikari | Dawn/Shinji | Paul, Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Leaf/Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius/White
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think this story warrants a particular content warning, however, just in case: there will be some violence though I don't think it is graphic, and there is some character death but not 'major' character death (i.e. none of the ten tagged characters)
> 
> Enjoy!

A half-moon hung low in the sky. A few stars twinkled overhead.  
Five teenaged boys walked the streets of some small, insignificant city in Kalos. They looked like five regular teenagers out to cause trouble, but should their conversation have been overheard a passer-by would wonder if they were drunk.  
"That was a good haul last night," commented one boy with emerald hair and eyes to match. "Seven new recruits. A record made."  
"It should have been twelve," muttered another boy shortly. His plum-coloured hair was longish and framed a handsome face. Black eyes glared at the boy with emerald hair. Each boy was incredibly, unfairly, handsome in appearance and each had unnaturally pale, stark white skin.  
"Hey, it's not our fault we were thirsty," said a boy with brown hair so spiky it looked dangerous.  
"Ash and N and I can all control our bloodlust," the plum-haired boy snapped. "You-"  
"Quiet," the emerald-haired boy hissed, holding up a hand. Each boy halted instantly. "I smell blood. Fresh blood."  
A boy with coal-black hair sighed. "Here we go again," he muttered. "Drew, can't you-" he began but the boy with spiky brown hair snapped his fingers in front of Ash's face.  
"Shh. It's coming from the alley down there," he said in a low voice. "Drew, let's split up. By the smell of them there are two humans hiding there. One each, let's go."  
Both the brown and emerald haired boys sped off towards the afore-mentioned alley with such speed as was not natural. They were gone in the blink of an eye.  
The three left behind exchanged glances. "If they can't control themselves, we'll run out of humans to recruit," Ash muttered.  
"Why does it matter to you?" asked the other boy with long green hair tied back in a ponytail. "You never bite mortals anyway."  
Ash shrugged. "Mars and Saturn won't be pleased with them."  
Before N could reply, a shrill buzzing sound from Paul's watch alerted them to a call by one of their bosses. Paul answered it by tapping the screen and they clustered around to listen as Paul received his orders from Mars, their female commander. As soon as the call ended, the three sped towards the alleyway where Drew and Gary were finishing off their two humans. Both boys were bent over their prey on the ground, not stirring when the other three arrived.  
"Drew. Gary. Mars wants us back at base, now," Paul snapped.  
Gary raised his head briefly. His eyes were bright red and warm blood dripped from his fangs, staining the ground red. "What does she want this time?" he growled, before resuming his meal.  
Paul kept his eyes on Gary, not letting himself look at either victim. He was using all his self-control not to join them in draining the mortals dry. "Too many newly-turned vampires are being dusted by the slayers who recently moved into town," he answered emotionlessly. "Mars wants us to do something about it."  
Instantly he had captured both Gary and Drew's attention. "You mean we get to bite slayers?" Drew checked. His voice was thick and his eyes as red as Gary's but they shone eagerly through the darkness.  
A smirk played on Paul's lips. "Not yet. Slayers have almost been staking more newfangs than we can create but recently they’ve stopped slaying. Mars thinks they have a plan and she wants us to find out what. Then we can bite them."  
All five vampires exchanged glances. "Bring it on," Gary snarled eagerly. "It's been too long since I tasted slayer blood."


	2. The Stakes of Focus

_It was close. The wind rushed in her right ear, alerting her to it closing in. She swept her balled hand up just as it halted an inch away, an ice-cold hand landing on the bare skin of her neck._

_But it wouldn't bite her. It would never bite another mortal again - she made sure of that. Grinning, she drove the stake enclosed by her hand into its heart. The shock on its unblemished face was the last expression it was ever to make before it disintegrated into-_

"May, pay attention please." Ms Matthews' sharp voice sliced through May's daydream, causing the seventeen-year-old to gasp. "This is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn and I don't fancy repeating myself, so I suggest you listen to what I am telling you."

Recovering from the shock of being jerked back to reality, May sighed and placed a hand over her chest to feel her heart racing. "Sorry Ms Matthews," she murmured, looking up at the Maths teacher standing in front of her desk. 

Ms Matthews pursed her lips, looking at May over the top of the thin-framed glasses that perched on the bridge of her long, straight nose. Everything about Ms Matthews was long and straight: her feet, her legs, her back, and even her hair although she was over fifty. She was quite possibly the oddest teacher in the school, with her old-fashioned clothes and glasses and teaching methods, combined with a hairstyle usually sported by younger generations, and her height was rivalled by none. Not to mention how she would turn a blind eye if you ran in the corridors or swore in front of her, but if you daydreamed in class you'd be fortunate to escape a detention. 

"As you should be - after all, it's your future that's at stake here, not mine," she said stiffly after a long pause, addressing not just May but the whole class.

May nodded meekly. As Ms Matthews turned away to click back over the old floorboards to the front of the classroom Leaf leaned over to whisper in her ear: "If only she knew just how much of our futures are at stake - or rather, hinging  _on_ a stake." 

May snorted loudly - and instantly regretted it.

"Detention, May," Ms Matthews drawled without looking round. May stifled a groan. "Now, I know this is something which I say a lot, but since only a few of you seem to have understood it I am going to go over it again... Actually, can anyone tell me what I'm talking about?" Her keen eyes swept the class like a hawk circling its prey. May shrank back in her seat, shifting uncomfortably against the hard plastic back. Fortunately for her, there was a willing victim who raised his hand. "Yes, Brendan?" 

"We need to keep focused on our essays and not go off on tangents." Brendan sat on the opposite side of the room to May and Leaf, but neither girl missed the quick glance he shot May as he answered. 

"Exactly right," Ms Matthews praised, turning to write STAY FOCUSED on the whiteboard in thick black marker. 

"Show-off," May muttered as the sound of the squeaky pen filled the air. "Like staying focused on an essay is going to help us.

Leaf raised an eyebrow suggestively. "He's only trying to impress you and besides, in our line of work staying focused is definitely something that could mean the difference between a saved life and a lost one," she pointed out. 

May frowned and looked back towards Brendan. His attention was fixed on Ms Matthews now. He wasn't bad looking, she supposed, and he was nice enough. He wore a white knit cap covering his black hair and had greenish-brown eyes. Not that it mattered what she thought of him. Whether she liked him or not, being in a relationship just wasn't a luxury she could afford. 

* * *

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the day May and Leaf jumped out of their seats and shot towards the door like bullets - until Ms Matthews' harsh voice brought May to a swift halt. 

"Well," May said mournfully as all around her other students began to flock past her, "my taste of freedom may have been short but it was definitely sweet." 

Leaf rolled her eyes. "If you call being out of your chair for two seconds 'freedom' then you must really hate school." Drawing closer to her friend, she added in a low voice, "I'll tell the others why you got held up and we'll meet you outside the school gates - text me as soon as Ms Matthews is done with you." May nodded, and Leaf added in a louder voice, "Bye then, hope Ms Matthews doesn't harp on at you too much!" 

May watched with amusement as her friend scampered out of the room before Ms Matthews could catch her. 

"Sit down, May." Ms Matthews' order was followed by a resigned sigh. The teacher sat straight-backed in the chair behind her heavy oak desk, the place she always retreated to at the end of the school day to avoid the student mob rushing to the exit. May hastily obliged, returning to her desk at the side of the room. "Do you know why you're here?" 

May put her bag down by the legs of the desk. "Because I was daydreaming?" 

"Yes. You cannot expect to pass your exams if you do not pay attention in class..." As Ms Matthews began the lecture May had heard a hundred different variations of, her gaze wandered around the room. It was an odd classroom; different to every other room in the school. All of the desks were single old-fashioned ones with lids that lifted so books could be placed inside, and Ms Matthews’ desk looked ancient with feet carved in the shape of animal paws to match her large, creaky chair. The wallpaper was peeling and covered with posters that had to be at least ten years old, and there was a hole in one of the floorboards at the back of the room where a mouse had gnawed at it to make a home. Despite being bored to death of spending what seemed like half her life inside it, May had become strangely fond of the room. It was different and unusual, and-

"May," Ms Matthews snapped. 

May's eyes sprung back to her teacher apologetically. 

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

May's silence was the only answer the teacher needed.

"Very well." Ms Matthews’ eyes narrowed dangerously, and for a moment May was afraid she might be kept in detention for the whole of the Christmas break. But then Ms Matthews heaved another sigh and stood up, scraping her chair over the floor with a grating noise of protest. "You may go."

May blinked in surprise. "I can go?" It had only been ten minutes. 

"Go, before I change my mind. But I want an essay on why it's important to stay focused when I see you after Christmas," Ms Matthews added, looking at her student over the top of her glasses. 

Not needing to be told again, May grabbed the strap of her dark blue schoolbag and swung it onto her shoulder as she got up. "Thank you Ms Matthews," she said gratefully, hastening to the door. But she hesitated as she pulled it open, glancing at the teacher over her shoulder. Ms Matthews stood by the whiteboard with her arms folded over her chest and a strange expression on her face that May couldn't quite work out. "Merry Christmas Ms Matthews," she chirped at last, offering her stern teacher a smile.

Ms Matthews looked surprised. "Thank you May... You too," she responded, and May brightened as she slipped through the door and closed it carefully behind her. 

_It never costs anything to be nice,_ May thought to herself as she hurried through the empty school corridors and pulled her phone out of her pocket, sending a quick text to Leaf.

* * *

The streets bustled with people either heading home after a long day at work or hitting the town for a bit of late night shopping. There were only one and a half weeks left until Christmas day which was to fall on a Saturday that year, but May was too preoccupied to think about buying presents. Leaf hadn't been outside the school gates as she had promised, so May was on her way towards their usual hangout: Cloyster Café.

"Come on," she muttered under her breath as she narrowly missed colliding with a man wearing a suit striding towards her. The watch on her wrist flashed to let her know she had an unseen message but it wasn't letting her view the message and she was becoming rather frustrated with it. "And they say you're the latest technology that no slayer is complete without," she told it sarcastically. 

"May?" A familiar voice made her freeze. 

She looked up to find the same greenish-brown eyes that had been darting glances towards her in class staring openly at her now. 

"Are you talking to your watch?" Brendan asked, amusement making his tone light.

_What's he doing here?_ May quickly swept the area and saw that they were on a street corner with traffic crawling past at the pace of snails. She wasn't too far from the base now, but Brendan was a long way from his home - he'd told her he lived on the other side of town.  _Did he follow me?_ The question reverberated around her mind. 

"Hi," she said brightly, not wanting him to see how much his appearance had surprised her. "What are you doing here?"

Brendan chuckled. "What, you're not pleased to see me?" he joked.

May flushed. She hadn't meant it to sound like that! "It's just that it's not safe out at night," she mumbled, glancing down at her watch. It had stopped flashing now, but the screen seemed to be frozen. 

"Yeah, yeah, because of the killings, I know, but - and I mean no offense when I say this - I think I'm more capable of defending myself than you are. Besides, there's safety in numbers right?" Brendan sounded casual as he responded, as if he didn't quite realise just how patronising the unintended insult was. 

May barely stopped herself from telling him that if either of them was incapable of looking after themselves it was him because he hadn't had the training of a vampire slayer. "So why are you here?" she pressed, feeling slightly less friendly towards him now. As he answered she folded her arms, drawing her jumper closer around her to try and fend off some of the nipping cold.

"I was running an errand when I saw you so I thought I'd come and say hi... and maybe walk you home since you're right, it's not safe out," Brendan explained. The offer sounded innocent, but after his earlier comment May decided that letting him walk her home was the last thing she wanted. And besides, she couldn't exactly lead him to base - it would raise too many questions. 

"No thanks, I'm meeting Le- Did you say killings?" May asked, having let his words sink in. 

Brendan frowned. "Didn't you hear? It was all over the news - two men were found dead in an alley last night with most of their blood gone and puncture holes in their necks. At first they thought there was some kind of snake on the loose but this morning they announced that it looked more like a human who had used some kind of torture method on them." 

May digested this information. She knew those deaths weren't the result of a snake, nor a human being. _How come I didn't know about this before?_ she wondered, suddenly keen to get back to base.

"Sorry, I have to go," she muttered, walking forwards.

He grabbed her arm as she passed him. "Hang on, it's not safe," he reminded her.

_Not for you,_ she privately agreed. "Look, I - oh, there's Leaf," she said, relieved to spot her dark-haired friend waving frantically at her from across the street outside the café they had agreed to rendezvous at before heading back to nest together. 

"Oh, okay." Brendan looked disappointed, but May didn't notice. She was already crossing the road, weaving through the slow traffic to get to her friend. "Guess I'll see you later then," Brendan muttered, turning away with a sigh.

"May," Leaf said before May could say anything. "We have a situation."

"I know, the men-" May started, but Leaf cut her off.

"It's Nics; she's in trouble." 

Dread pierced May's heart like an arrow. "What kind of trouble?"

Leaf grabbed her hand, pulling her down the pavement. "I'll explain on the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think so far, all constructive criticism is welcome :)
> 
> ~ Jay


	3. Mission Coalition

Leaf pulled May into the café on the side of the town square. Their other friends were already seated in their usual corner booth.

Nicolette was no-where to be seen.

“What’s wrong?” May asked, her heartbeat rising anxiously. She couldn’t get the knowledge that two men had been killed last night out of her head. “Where’s Nics?”

Misty leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowed thoughtfully – but not looking panicked. “She’s just finished her shift, she’s changing.”

May sighed with relief and slipped onto the red booth seating after Leaf. Then she turned to her best friend with a glare. “You had me worried something really bad had happened!”

“Sorry,” Leaf grinned sheepishly. “But she said it’s important.”

“Nics wanted to wait ‘til we were all here to explain,” Misty added.

May tried to relax, but it was difficult with Brendan’s news still fresh on her mind. “Actually, I have something to tell you before Nics arrives,” May whispered across the table, beckoning her friends to lean in.

“If this is about the so-called _vampire_ you saw two days ago…” Misty drawled teasingly.

May shook her head. “It’s not, but I swear, it was a vampire!”

“It was a lamp post in fog, but continue.”

“Okay. I just talked to Brendan – that guy from mine and Leaf’s class – and he said two men were killed last night with two puncture wounds on their necks. _And_ they were drained of blood.”

Her friends digested this slowly.

“Vampires,” Dawn breathed, hovering over a latte.

“Are you sure? We haven’t heard of any vampire activity in a while,” Misty reminded them.

Leaf chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Just because we haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” she pointed out. “But I haven’t seen any deaths reported. How would Brendan know about it before the media?”

“I don’t know, but we need to tell Grace,” May replied urgently.

“Shh,” Misty muttered suddenly, her head popping up to smile at another girl walking towards them. “Hi Nics,” she greeted loudly.

The other girls quickly assumed more normal positions. White shuffled in towards Misty so there was room for Nicolette to sit down, and their sixth friend heaved a large sigh as she did, not seeming to have noticed the way they had just had their heads bent together.

“Girls, I have a huge problem,” Nicolette began, leaning her elbows on the table to look around at all of her friends with wide eyes. None of them were prepared for her next announcement. “Kyle asked me out.”

May gasped. “Yay! Wait, why aren’t you happy? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“You’ve been wanting him to ask you out for ages,” Dawn agreed, leaning across Misty to speak.

“The problem is he asked me to the Christmas Ball, but Mum and Dad refuse to close the café so I’m going to be working,” Nicolette explained dramatically, sweeping her hands towards the cash register where an older woman with the same red hair and twinkling eyes as Nicolette now stood.

“That’s tough,” Leaf sympathised. “Maybe someone could cover your shift?”

Nicolette groaned. “I already thought of that, but Dad says if I’m serious about opening my own café one day, I need to take more responsibility and, his words, ‘stop switching shifts just because you don’t feel like doing them’.” She threw her hands up dramatically. “Isn’t he the worst?”

Misty grinned. “He might have a point, you know.”

“Ugh, you’re right, but it still sucks.”

May reached over the table to squeeze Nicolette’s arm comfortingly. “If it makes you feel better, we’re probably going to be working that night too.”

Misty’s eyes widened warningly and Leaf dug an elbow into May’s side, both trying to remind her that Nicolette didn’t know they were vampire slayers.

It was too late. Nicolette’s eyes sharpened curiously. “You still haven’t told me where you work,” she said.

May swallowed. “Oh, um, just for our… step-mum, you know, Grace. She’s like that crazy step-mother from Cinderella, always has us doing chores. We have to, um, keep the b-house clean for all of her clients, and the Christmas Ball falls on one of her busiest nights.” May didn’t think that was a bad cover-up, but four pairs of eyes glared at her from around the table. She shrank back into her seat.

Nicolette just shrugged, not particularly concerned. Over the years they had probably given her several different names for their relationships to Grace. Step-mother, Aunt, Cousin, Family Friend… but Nicolette never questioned it. May wondered if it was because they were her only friends and she didn’t want to alienate them by broaching a subject they were clearly touchy about. Maybe Nicolette had her own theories about what was really going on. Either way, she left them to their own business.

“Tell me about it,” Nicolette agreed casually.

A synchronised breath was released as everyone in the booth relaxed.

“Oh,” Misty started as her watch flashed with a new alert. “Speaking of Grace, she wants us back home ASAP. Sorry Nics, we were supposed to go straight home from school but couldn’t resist dropping by for a quick coffee first.”

Nicolette sighed. “Of course, just as I get off work and can finally hang out, the step-mum calls you back.”

“We really are sorry,” White said, wrapping Nicolette in a one-armed hug. “You know we’d stay if we could.”

“The latte was delicious as always,” Dawn added, slurping the rest of it down.

“Drop by later if you get the chance?” Nicolette asked as they gathered their coats and bags, preparing to leave.

“Definitely,” Leaf and May said at the same time. They laughed and bumped fists; a tradition stretching back as long as either could remember.

The group left the café in a high-spirited gaggle, shivering together as they braved the cold air outside, chatting on the way home about Nicolette’s problem and whether they could do anything to help her, and what plans they might make with her now that school had finished for the holidays.

Nicolette was their only friend outside of their close-knit group, too.

* * *

“You took your time.” Grace’s disapproving voice sounded the moment Misty pushed open the door to the briefing room.

“Sorry Grace,” Misty apologised. As their unofficial leader, she tended to take responsibility for anything that went wrong or any time they failed in their responsibilities collectively. “We’d promised Nicolette we would pay her a quick visit after school now the holidays have started.”

Misty didn’t mention May’s detention. They always had each other’s backs, no matter what.

As they filed into the room to take their seats at the table, one thing was immediately apparent. Their normal three-a-side briefing table had been replaced with a longer five-a-side glass table. It filled the room, making it feel much more cramped than usual. Grace was squeezed in at the head of the table facing the door, her back to the white board behind her – though May wondered whether Grace had enough room to turn around and use it like this.

“What’s with the table upgrade?” asked Leaf, examining it critically.

“It’s part of the reason I wanted you here as soon as school ended,” Grace said, a disapproving edge to her tone. “As you all know, vampire attacks have increased over the past couple of years and unfortunately slayer numbers are lower than ever. That’s why your training has been increased so drastically. But it isn’t enough. This hasn’t been released to the press yet, but two men were killed and drained of blood by vampires last night. I’ve been in meetings with Slayer High Command all day trying to work something out but there’s really nothing else we can do…” she hesitated, as if searching for the right way to deliver her news.

May was suddenly reminded of how young Grace was. Most City Commanders were in their fifties, their own days in the field behind them, but Grace was only just past thirty. An injury had impacted her ability to patrol and fight but instead of retire, she chose to remain active and train the next generation of slayers. Her appointment to City Commander of Camphrier had happened only a few years ago but she’d been training the girls ever since they joined the program as children orphaned by vampire attacks.

Grace sighed, her expression softening. “Girls, we’re the only slayers left in Camphrier. You five and myself. I thought that trying to hide how desperate our situation really is from you would protect you, but you’re old enough to deal with bad news now and, quite frankly, it isn’t a choice any more. Things have never been so dire in the whole of our history. I have to send you into the field. You’re Camphrier’s only hope.” She paused to let this sink in.

May could only blink as she registered Grace’s admission. _We’re the only slayers left in Camphrier. Our situation is desperate. Things have never been this bad. We’re the only slayers left in Camphrier._

“Does that mean we’re going to start patrolling and protecting the citizens ourselves?” asked Misty, full business-mode descending.

Leaf was nodding slowly. “I wondered why this base has been so empty since we arrived back in September. This means… everyone died.”

“Not everyone,” Grace corrected before the mood could become too sombre. “Your trainers were called away to other bases. The whole region is struggling, we have a lot of younger slayers but no-one to train them. Your training is nearly complete so I decided we could let Miguel and Selena go. Others needed them more.”

May relaxed slightly at this news. _At least not everyone’s dead._

They were all used to death, to meeting someone one day and never seeing them again. Hell, they were all orphans. Death brought them into this career. At a certain point, you have to become desensitised to news like that.

 _But it never stops being sad. And I will_ always _fight to prevent more people dying_ , May swore under her breath.

“There’s something else,” Grace continued. “The city of Lumiose has the largest slayer base in the land. I reached out to them to see if they could spare anyone. Our town may be small but it is no less important. And their Commander agreed…” Grace looked at each of their faces apprehensively before finishing her sentence. May guessed this was what Grace had really been building up to, and whatever it was, none of them would like it. “He agreed to send their trainees, who are about your ages, to finish their training with you and be your partners on patrol to make our little town as safe as it can possibly be.”

No-one responded immediately. As May glanced around at her friends she saw her own turmoil reflected on all their faces.

Lumiose was the biggest city in Kalos, the pride of the region. And every slayer they had met who came from Lumiose was absolutely full of it.

“Please, tell me this is a joke,” White spoke up. “We had one visiting trainer from Lumiose before. Cyrus, you remember him?” she appealed to Misty, who nodded gravely. “He always talked down to us and acted like we were beneath him, like training us was a step down from training his precious little Lumiose prodigies.”

Grace smiled weakly. “It’s funny you mention Cyrus…” She shook her head slightly and then tapped her watch, sending a pre-written message.

Moments later, amidst an atmosphere of growing dread filling the room, the door opened.

Cyrus strode inside.

May shuddered. He looked no different than she remembered. Blue hair smoothed back with grease, unruly stubble which he seemed to think made him attractive but actually just looked unkempt, evil blue eyes that could pin a mouse to a cheeseboard if it got caught in the glare, and a disgusting pinstriped suit he never took off even for training.

“Grace,” he greeted in a voice like unevenly-cut cardboard, “it’s lovely to see you again.” He swept his eyes around the girls without singling out any individuals. “Girls,” he said briskly before striding down the long table to stand next to Grace, who seemed to be trying to communicate how sorry she was with her eyes – but none of them would look at her. May had her gaze fixed firmly on the table, and she didn’t need to look up to know all of her friends were doing the same.

They hadn’t seen Cyrus in years, but the effect he had on them was exactly the same.

The sound of more feet entering the room pulled May’s eyes from the table.

Five boys trooped in, all looking around seventeen or eighteen as Grace had said.

But one stood out.

“Brendan?” gasped May, in utter disbelief.

He offered her a nervous smile.

“This is how you knew about the killings before us,” she realised out loud.

A couple of his friends laughed and tousled him teasingly.

Brendan had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you I’m also a slayer. Cyrus wanted us to keep a tight lid on the news until we were officially introduced. I never meant to get to know you at school, it just kind of… happened.”

More guffaws and elbowing from his friends ensued.

May shook her head, still unable to believe this was happening. “But… but… but you’ve been at school with me – us – since September,” she blurted out.

“Yes,” Cyrus announced calmly, instantly drawing all attention back to the front of the room. “We’ve been working on this alliance for some time now, but Grace was adamant you didn’t need our help. So we’ve been staying out of sight, keeping things under control behind the scenes… until Grace finally came to her senses and realised you do need us.”

The smugness in his voice made May want to punch him. If she could ever work up the courage, maybe one day she would. One day far, far, far into the future. Preferably when he was an old man.

_No, wait, that would be bad. I can’t punch an old man. Maybe when he’s seventy? No, too old. Sixty? Yeah. Maybe sixty._

A newfound sympathy for Grace welled up in May’s heart. Poor Grace. She’d been trying to save them from this fate for months. Things must be even more dire than Grace was letting on.

“ _If_ we can proceed with your briefing,” Cyrus said loudly, with a pointed look at the boys. They quickly settled down and slid into empty seats. “You will be partnered up. One from Lumiose with one from Kalos. Let’s see…” He finally looked at each girl, apprising them, remembering how they had performed under his teaching before. “Brendan, you clearly know May already despite my precise instructions not to engage any of the girls prior to today.”

May hid a smile as Brendan shrunk in his seat next to her.

“So you may as well work together. Now then, Red, you can partner Leaf. Lucas and Dawn. Rudy with Misty. And that leaves Black, you can partner White.”

None of those names rang any bells to May, although Dawn was staring at Lucas with curiosity as if she recognised him, but the boys all nodded as if they knew who their assigned partners were without needing them to be pointed out.

It was creepy. Clearly the boys had known who they all were from the start, they’d all been going to school together for months and the boys must have been watching them and learning about them when most of them had no idea who most of the boys even were.

 _Ugh. Everything about Cyrus is creepy as hell._ At least Brendan had ignored him and not pretended like May didn’t exist, even if he hadn’t been completely honest with her.

Grace spoke up then, determined not to get lost in Cyrus’s sweeping takeover. “Is that all right with you girls? If you’re not happy with this arrangement, you can let me know at any time and I’ll do what I can sort it out,” she promised.

May nodded with the others. This wasn’t Grace’s fault. If it ended up not working out, Cyrus was the only one to blame.

“Let’s treat this as an experiment in partnership,” Grace continued, her voice strong and expression determined. “Traditionally slayer bases have had little contact with each other apart from monthly reports to Slayer High Command on the vampire situation and exchanging trainers so all trainees benefit from varied styles of teaching. But it has been an idea for a while that perhaps we should incorporate an exchange program into your training. That way you could visit other bases, train with other slayers your age, and hopefully gain more experience.”

Leaf grinned. “So this is, like, a mission… Mission: Coalition,” she suggested.

May and Dawn giggled. Misty and White groaned.

It was a beautiful display of their dynamic, and they all started smiling as they realised it.

“Welcome to Kalos, Lumiose Boys,” Misty drawled, leaning back and embracing her grin. “This is what you’re going to have to put up with for the next however long.”

“If bad jokes and good humour are all we have to contend with, I think we’ll get on just fine,” said Red.

“That’s enough,” Cyrus said. “You can get to know each other later.” He waited for silence before continuing. “You will patrol the town in pairs. We will post a shift rota in here and in your common room. As we have not finalised it yet, I’ll tell you now the first shift will be Red and Leaf.”

Grace coughed meaningfully.

“And Brendan and May,” Cyrus added, looking like he was about to roll his eyes but stopping himself just in time. “Since Grace here thinks the first shift is the most dangerous and the most bitings happen during the first few hours of darkness, four of you will patrol these first hours. Is that clear?”

“Most bitings _do_ happen during the first few hour of darkness,” Grace said firmly. “Any questions?” she asked, her tone icy as she reminded Cyrus he was in _her_ base, and she was the Commander with final say on every matter.

May shrugged. It was all pretty clear to her.

Leaf raised her hand tentatively.

“Yes?” asked both Grace and Cyrus at the same time.

Leaf’s eyes darted between the two before settling on Grace. “So our shift starts as soon as darkness falls. When does it end?”

“Midnight,” Cyrus answered immediately.

Grace narrowed her eyes and repeated, “Midnight.”

Leaf nodded her thanks.

“You have thirty minutes to prepare for the first shift. The others are free to go. I recommend napping before your own respective shifts. It’s going to be a long night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not overly familiar with the region of Kalos so I googled cities which the slayers could be in and Camphrier seemed a good choice - but it won't be described like in the game (or anime if it's in the anime, I don't know) - it's basically an alternate universe Camphrier with a layout that fits the plot. I just wanted to use familiar names when I could, so hopefully that's okay lol.
> 
> Feel free to let me know your thoughts so far, whether you like the story or not. I realise the plot is starting a bit slow but I promise things pick up next chapter. Right now I'm laying a lot of very important groundwork ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Nicolette's Fate

Leaf glanced at her watch. They’d been patrolling the town center for two hours and it was now seven minutes to six O’clock. “Maybe we should stop for a quick coffee before the cafés close?” she suggested. “We’ve not seen any vampires yet and I could take a break.”

May perked up from the other side of Brendan like a puppy responding to a call of ‘treats’. Leaf stifled a giggle in response.

Red looked uneasy. “We still need to be on our guard though. I don’t know about you Camphrier slayers but in Lumiose we’re not used to slacking off.”

Leaf rolled her eyes. Away from the cluster of boys, he was not funny or good-humoured. There were no bad jokes as she had previously been promised. He was strangely boring, straight as nails and in the two hours they’d had to get to know each other so far, had displayed no personality traits outside of typical Lumiose arrogance.

“Camphrier slayers never slack off,” May retorted, getting fired up.

Leaf grinned. Red had been walking a fine line for a while, but this latest remark fuelled May’s temper. Leaf hid her amusement, reflecting that she was fortunate to have a friend like May who never failed to make her laugh whatever the situation.

“We just know how to enjoy ourselves while on the job,” May added huffily, crossing her arms and marching ahead.

Red held up his hands, looking surprised by her reaction. “Hey, all I’m saying is we should be careful. In Lumiose we take slacking seriously,” he called after her.

 _If he mentions how they do things in Lumiose one more time_ … Leaf prodded Red’s arm to get his attention. “You and Brendan can circle the town square while May and I get coffees to-go for us all,” she suggested, used to playing mediator. “Eight hours is a long time to be patrolling nonstop. We can take it in turns to take brief breaks, that’s why our commanders are allocating four of us to the first shift of every night.”

Red and Brendan looked at each other.

“I don’t see any harm in that,” Brendan was the first to say.

May smiled at him warmly, her mood instantly lifted. “Yay, thank you!” She grabbed Leaf’s hand, tugging her towards Cloyster Café. “Let’s go!”

Leaf let her friend drag her forwards, but she noticed the less-than-happy look on Red’s face as they left. _Why did I have to get stuck with the kill-joy?_ She tried not to dwell on it, but she couldn’t help thinking about the possible obstacles she and Red were going to face as partners if this bad rapport continued.

The café was dark as they approached, only one figure visible in the window – and she was stacking chairs on tables so she could sweep the floor.

Fortunately, Nicolette never cared if they visited outside official opening hours.

“Hey Nics,” May called, pushing open the door.

A gust of cold wind followed them in but Nicolette didn’t seem to mind. She flew towards them with glee, enveloping them both in a massive hug.

“May, Leaf! I knew you’d come back for me!”

“Of course we did! You didn’t think we’d ever forget you, did you?” May scolded teasingly.

Nicolette squeezed them tightly before stepping back. “Never,” she announced, her green eyes glimmering with life. “Hang on while I make us some drinks – you want the usual, yeah?”

Leaf and May exchanged a glance. They couldn’t stay, but neither wanted to be the one to tell her.

“Yeah,” Leaf said as May’s eyes traced the patterned tiles at their feet, “and also two white americanos… to-go, please.”

Nicolette stared at them for a moment, then sighed noisily. “You ran as far as the step-mum’s leash allowed but she’s jerking you back already?”

“Not exactly.” Leaf glanced over her shoulder, looking across the square to where she could just make out the figures of the boys walking around the fountain. She couldn’t tell Nicolette the truth, but that didn’t mean she had to lie about _everything_. “We’re on a double date.”

May squeaked beside her. Leaf grinned.

“What?” Nicolette gasped, jerked into motion. She hurried around the café bar and started the coffee machine. “Tell me everything!” she demanded.

May shook her head, eyeing Leaf dangerously. “Yeah Leaf, tell her _everything_.”

Leaf walked forward to lean on the bar as Nicolette prepared the drinks. “Well, you know that guy who keeps staring at May during class?”

“Brendan,” Nicolette nodded. She was home-schooled so didn’t have classes with them, but they kept her caught up on all the non-slayer gossip.

“He asked May to the Christmas Ball. And Red is a new student, he asked if he could borrow my notes after school and I thought he was cute so I asked him out since I don’t have a date yet and I figured, he’s new, he won’t have a date either.”

_Okay, so the Red part is a huge lie, but if he’s going to be my partner Nics is bound to see us together at some point and ask questions. I may as well start the narrative now, that way at least I get to control it._

Nicolette squealed with excitement. “No way, that’s so exciting! Now all I need to do is find a way to get out of working the night of the Ball and then we can all go together with our dates!”

May finally relaxed, returning Nicolette’s happy smile. “Yes! It’s gonna be so much fun, you have to find a way out of working!”

“Oh, but the others don’t have dates yet, right?” Nicolette dampened slightly.

Leaf bit her lip. She could weave a story for Misty, Dawn, and White’s partners, but she felt they were their lies to form. So she just shook her head. “Still, we’ll all go as girls and the boys will just be, like, an accessory to the fun of a girls’ night.”

Nicolette bent to open the fridge. A moment later she popped up with a frown. “Oops, we’re out of milk. I’ll just nip down to the storeroom, won’t take a min.”

Leaf and May watched her whisk out from behind the bar and hurry to the blue door marked BASEMENT at the back of the café.

Once they were alone, May biffed Leaf on the arm.

“Oi,” Leaf complained.

“Brendan’s my date now?” May hissed.

Leaf grinned. “Hey, that’s the closest to the truth any of us are going to get. He _wants_ to be your date, we all know it.”

May rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. I’ll admit, that was quick thinking. I guess we would’ve had to explain the boys’ presence at some point. Nics’s bound to notice our new shadows sooner or later.”

“Exactly. Though I swear, if Red talks about Lumiose one more time, I’m going to punch him into his own shadow,” Leaf said with a grimace.

May giggled. “That, I want to see.”

After a moment, Leaf asked hesitantly, “Do you think it’s odd we haven’t seen any vampires yet?”

May chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Two men were killed last night, after not much activity over the past few weeks – although we have been hearing about unexplained disappearances… you don’t think they’ve been turning people instead of just killing them?”

“I don’t know. But it’s odd. Especially since they’ve been slowly working down our numbers. And that’s no easy feat, I’ve seen senior slayers in action. Maybe it makes sense that they’ve been making more vampires in order to kill more slayers?”

Dread settled around Leaf’s heart. The feeling was reflected by the dawning horror in May’s eyes.

“I can’t help but feel like something big is going to happen,” she whispered. For the first time, the darkness in the dimly-lit café felt dangerous. “After weeks of no reported murders, they kill two people last night. Does that mean they’ve finished turning people? If that is what they’ve been doing?”

Leaf swallowed. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled warningly. “I think it might. We need to discuss this with Misty and everyone as soon as possible.” She glanced towards the basement door. “Nics should be back any moment and we can take the coffees and go. Everything’s been happening so fast since school ended, we’ve barely had a chance to process what our new positions as field slayers means.”

May touched Leaf’s arm. Her eyes were wide and uncertain. “Do you think we’re really ready for this? We’ve still got a year of training left before the guild will recognise us as full slayers. I know we’ve all been dreaming about finally doing field-work, but… now that it’s happening and we’ve had no time to prepare, I… I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“I know,” Leaf murmured, “I feel the same way. But what can we do? There are no slayers left in Camphrier.”

“I still can’t believe that,” May said. “It’s just so sudden. I know the base has been pretty empty recently but… I never expected this.”

“I know.” Leaf glanced towards the basement door again. “Why isn’t Nics back yet? She was only going to fetch milk.” She tapped her foot impatiently.

“Do you think she might have had an accident? Maybe we should go check she’s okay,” May suggested.

 _Why do I feel like something really bad is about to happen?_ Leaf pushed down her anxiety and nodded.

Together they walked towards the blue door coated in peeling paint and grubby finger marks.

Steps led downwards. When they reached the second door, Leaf hesitated for a moment. They couldn’t hear anything other than their own hearts beating. She pushed the door. It swung open to reveal a horrifying scene.

Two figures sheltered by large black cloaks huddled around something pressed to the far wall. The basement light was bright but unsteady. Nicolette had complained many times that they needed to change the bulb because it flicked off every few seconds.

As the slayers entered the basement, one figure whirled around with a flap of its cloak. The light died, plunging them into darkness.

When it came back, Leaf had slipped the stake from her sleeve into her hand. She held it up as the sudden brightness revealed an inhuman face stopped in front of her, red eyes glaring above bared fangs dripping with fresh blood.

Neither she nor May had seen a vampire up close before. They’d heard stories, trained with supposedly accurate replicas – but nothing could have prepared them for coming face-to-face with one in situation like this before.

They were slayers. They were supposed to be in control, they were supposed to be the hunters. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

“Vampire,” May accused, tensing beside Leaf. May’s anger rose, fury shaving the edge off her nerves.

Leaf had never wished more than in this moment for a fiery temper like her best friend. Unlike May, her body was as cold as the stone flooring beneath their feet. She was terrified.


End file.
